Rhyme and Reason
by Stars in Bloom
Summary: During a routine check of one of Hojo's defunct labs, Cloud discovers someone he thought to be dead. But is this really the man he loved so long ago? Or is this just an echo of the past? Zack/Cloud, yaoi, T for language and violence
1. Prologue

AN: haha, forgot this the first upload… hi! I'm lilirum! Honestly, I haven't written fanfiction or… actually… anything in over a year… so I'm a bit rusty, and don't have a beta! However, this was just begging to be written, but if you see any mistakes just let me know… yeah… its three in the morning… eheh, kinda late to be writing an author's note I want to make sense

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters, games, or movies. I am merely manipulating a few choice characters for my own amusement! I own nothing but the idea of this story.

**Prologue**

It was dark. So fucking dark. And it wasn't that he just couldn't see, it went beyond that. The darkness was seeping into his pores, engulfing his body. It pressed down on his eyelids, his limbs, ran down his throat and into his lungs, entered his blood and filled his heart. He wasn't even sure he was alive anymore, just a mass of consciousness held still in something he couldn't describe. Faintly, he knew he had a body. He knew he had hands to move and legs to kick, but everything that was pressing against him held him horribly still.

He had no idea how long he had been in here, floating, unseeing, but he knew it was a long time. There was something familiar about it, something that made his heart want to race and made his muscles twitch as much as they were able to. He was nervous, terrified, and angry. Above all, he was angry. He was filled with a need to move, a need to fight, a need to do _something _other than just sitting there and waiting for Gaia knew what.

It wasn't like him to stay this still and this silent for so long, he knew that. There was just something ultimately wrong about it. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but with every passing moment he just wanted to open his mouth, not necessarily to scream and yell, to try and get someone's attention, but just to hear something, anything. He couldn't remember the sound of his own voice. In fact… he couldn't remember anything. All that he knew was darkness, complete immobility, and the silence of his mind. He didn't know what he looked like, he didn't know what his name was, didn't know how he came to be here… or if he had always been here. All he knew was that he wanted to get out. He wanted to move, to speak, to fight. Above all he had an urge to fight. To punish whoever or whatever was keeping him here.

He floated there for days, weeks, years. There was no way of knowing, but he knew it was a long time. A long time to remain immobile with just his thoughts as his companions. A small part of his mind insisted there was someone out there, watching him, only an arms length away if he could only just move, but there was no way of knowing that for sure.

But suddenly, something changed. He wasn't sure what it was, or how it happened, but something was different one day when his brain seemed to tell him he was awake, sentient. The differences between sleep and being awake were small, but for some reason he always seemed to know a bit more when he was "awake". The water around him was different. For one, he could feel it. He knew it was water of some sort. It was no longer just a blockade of something he couldn't feel. Instead, he could feel it shifting around him, slimy, smooth. Something was tickling against his neck in the small current, and he realized with wonder that it must have been his hair. Curiously, he tried to move his body, finding that not only could he twitch his fingers and toes, but it was much easier than he had originally thought.

And then something dawned on him. If he could move his fingers, if he could now feel what was around him… then maybe he could peel back this darkness. Slowly, not quite sure how the function worked, his eyelids slid open, whatever he was floating in stinging his eyes and almost forcing him to close them again. However, he was determined. He had gotten this far, he wanted to see what was around him. So, he ignored the burn of the liquid and opened his eyes, waiting for them to adjust, and when he did… he could have sworn he was looking at sunlight.

A word jumped into his mind, unbidden, strange, and he didn't know what it meant or where it came from, only that something clenched painfully in his chest as he thought it, lips unconsciously moving to form a rough approximation of the word.

'Cloud.'

---------

It was an easy mission. Or, at least it was supposed to be.

Cloud had just gotten a call from Reno about a cave the Turks had finally tracked down. It was supposed to be the last of Hojo's research, something all of them had been looking for and destroying over the years. It was simple really, just a defunct research facility in a mountain, hidden from the public and a pain in the ass to find. The only reason that Cloud was coming was to give the Turks a bit more firepower in case one of Hojo's mutations was still wandering around the place. You could never be too careful when it came to that crazy scientist.

So, the blond had been expecting a simple in and out mission. Just meet up with Reno, fly to the cave, bust up whatever pods were still in tact, burn papers, all that kind of stuff. And for the first part of the journey, that's exactly what it was.

Cloud merely pulled up on his motorcycle, Reno rolling his eyes at the blond's showy entrance before waving him to the chopper. The ride over was relatively uneventful. The only interesting part when Reno commented that Cloud was looking more and more like a Chocobo every day, something that ended up with Rude having to take the controls as Cloud held the Turk out of the cargo drop by his jacket, face impassive and uncaring as the redhead struggled and swore. Within minutes though, Reno was back at the controls, and Cloud had resumed merely staring out of one of the windows. The only change was Reno swearing under his breath and Rude carefully placed between the two.

They landed on a flat ledge just above the cave a few minutes later, Reno still pissed and Cloud still as silent as the redhead's partner. In all honestly, the three didn't make a very good team. Sure, their combat specialties worked well together, but Cloud and Reno constantly got on each other's nerves, resulting in just as many brawls between the two of them as there were enemy attacks. Sure, Rude could calm Reno down most of the time with a simple look, but even he couldn't bring himself to be bothered enough by the two younger fighters' constant bickering to try and keep everything silent. So most of the time when Reno called him, Cloud made sure to drag Tifa along to act as a buffer between him and the redhead. But this time was different. This time the three were dealing with something they didn't want to drag anyone else into. Anything that had to deal with Hojo and his experiments wasn't something to joke about.

"So how are we doing this?" Cloud asked the Turks, kneeling at the edge of the cliff and peering over curiously, his eyes sweeping the landscape and picking out landing points, handholds, anything he might need in case something went wrong. Honestly, it was a rather good place for a lab. The cave was tucked away from sight by helicopters and other surveying machines, but there were just enough ledges for anyone with even the most basic of warrior training to easily reach the cave. In any sense, it made their mission a hell of a lot easier.

"In and out. Recon. Then blow it sky high," Reno said with a feral grin on his face, EMR slung over his shoulder lazily. Cloud blew at his bangs in annoyance, rolling his eyes at the Turk. Honestly, them and their explosives. Rufus must have hired them based on their level of pyromania.

"Lets do this," Cloud muttered, not sparing a moment to see if both Turks were ready. It wasn't like he needed their help with this anyways. Even if there was a monster lurking in the cave, as long as it wasn't some freak-show stronger than Sephiroth, he was pretty sure he could handle himself. He leapt with practiced ease to the next ledge down, flipping off of it to run a few silent steps along the wall of the cliff before dropping down onto the cave ledge. He heard Reno curse and a few rocks shift and allowed himself a small smirk at the knowledge that the other two weren't faring as well with getting to the cave as Cloud was.

He strode forward, mako-infused eyes glowing eerily in the darkness, a gloved hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. Unlike Reno and Rude, Cloud didn't need a flare or flashlight to travel in the dark of the cave. He could see perfectly fine in the gloom, it was just another legacy that Hojo left him. The blond paused in front of a capsule, broken from the inside out, his boots crunching on the remaining shards of glass on the floor. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it, memories flooding out of his subconscious. He scowled at it, eyes traveling to the small glowing pool of residue mako at the bottom before he turned around and strode onward, hand clutching the hilt of his sword a little tighter.

There was something about the place that made Cloud nervous, made every muscle in his body clench as if he was expecting a fight. Even as Reno made a noise of carefree disgust as he stepped around something that had finished rotting a few years ago, Cloud couldn't bring himself to sound the all clear. The lab was… too small. There wasn't enough here, and yet it was unmistakably Hojo's work. Where were the rows of capsules? Where were the telltale signs of experimentation? The only things here were a few scattered papers, the remains of an experiment, and one lousy, broken container.

"Rude, got the lights yet?" Reno called into the darkness, his voice echoing eerily in the still lab. Cloud heard something clatter to the ground before Reno swore colorfully. There were some dull thuds that followed, and a few more clatters as thin metal hit the stone floor. Cloud shook his head and let out a small scoff of amusement as he pictured Reno stumbling around in the dark, kicking at whatever was in his path. There was a small whirring sound before the overhead lights slowly crackled into use, bathing the entire lab in a coat of dull orange, and suddenly Cloud knew why the lab had seemed so small.

There was a door in front of him, a door that in the dim light had seemed to just be a part of the wall. Even with the light on it was hard to pick out. He frowned and put his hand on it, feeling around the metal slab until he felt something give. Pausing for just a moment, Cloud drew his sword and glanced over his shoulder, seeing the two Turks moving towards him, weapons drawn and stances ready. Unlike earlier, they were now moving with care, avoiding the obstacles on the floor with practiced ease. If the blond hadn't looked back, he wouldn't have even known that the two were coming towards him.

Turning back to the matter at hand, Cloud gently pushed down on the small metal slab, and with a groan the entire door slid backwards and to the side, vanishing into the stone wall as if it had never been there. The three fighters stepped forward and down the steps, Reno letting out a low whistle as they were met with at least thirty tanks filled to the brim with glowing mako. The air was cold enough that the fighters could see their breath, and Cloud couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through him both by the eerie familiarity of the place and the temperature.

He stilled at the bottom of the stairs, allowing the tip of his sword to dip to the ground, resting there in an ever-ready position. There was nothing down here other than the pods and the generator, that much was certain. And as such, there was no real reason for him to go further. So as Reno shouldered past him, looking as excited as a kid during Christmas, he didn't comment or make a move to follow him, merely watched the Turks carefully, ready to back them up if they needed it.

"Damn, this is creepy," Reno muttered, leaning towards one of the pods and tapping the glass with his finger. "I keep expecting something to pop out at me. Weird that they're empty," he mused, leaning forward even more and narrowing his eyes, a hand coming up to rub at his chin bemusedly. Rude paused in his own investigation to watch Reno as the redhead had an odd moment of seriousness. "Hold on," Reno continued, close enough to the glass that his breath had begun to fog up the glass. Inside the pod there seemed to be… well… a dark spot. "Rude, Cloud, get over here," he said, absently waving his hand behind him. The other two moved, Cloud a little more reluctant to venture further in. "Holy fuck… I think there's something in here," Reno said, sounding seriously disturbed as he straightened up and raked his eyes over the frame of the pod. "Maybe not something _living_, but there's definitely _something_ in there."

Cloud's hand tightened on his sword again as he and Rude leaned in closer, and sure enough, there was something floating in the mako. It was small and almost completely obscured by the glowing green around it, but the blond could pick out something that seemed almost human-esque curled up inside of the pod.

Suddenly, his mind erupted with images. Memories of the pod, of drowning inside the mako every day. Of experimentation, of banging his fists on the glass walls as he lost his ability to breathe, the liquid filling his lungs until he finally couldn't move. Wincing, Cloud raised his free hand to his head, stumbling backwards slightly from the onslaught of it all. Reno tensed and watched Cloud carefully, mouth drawn in an uncharacteristically straight line. Rude seemed a bit more relaxed, but Cloud could see a hand dive into his jacket, searching for the gun rather obviously hidden there.

Cool glass hit his back, and Cloud flinched again, but didn't move back. He knew what it was, and he knew what it probably contained, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around and face it. He was suddenly feeling sick, dizzy, weak, and he knew exactly why. He just wanted to smash the pods and get out of here, as soon as possible.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, knowing that Reno and Rude were too far away to hear him properly. He shook his head, driving back the memories and clearing it a little, pushing off the pod he had partially slumped against and flipping his sword up and onto his back before looking up, frowning as he saw the Turks in front of him. He wasn't too sure about Rude, considering that the man's face was unusually neutral and his glasses obscured his eyes, but Reno was staring wide-eyed at something over Cloud's shoulder. He frowned, brows furrowing as he gently clasped his hand around his sword again. Slowly, almost painfully so, he turned around, adrenaline rushing through his veins and eyes blazing at the prospect of some kind of fight.

He never could have prepared himself for what he saw.

There, floating naked in the pod, pale skin flawless and black mane shifting with the inner current of the flowing mako, was a fully developed human male. His eyes were open and alert, a vibrant violet tinted green both by the make he was floating in and an inner blaze that was almost unexplainable. His limbs were lax, his face expressionless and motionless save for those blazing eyes, wide in wonder, and the lips twitching as they seemed to try and form a word none of them could quite grasp. The blond was suddenly glad that he had sheathed his weapon, seeing as he would have dropped it rather unceremoniously as his hand dropped to the side of his body, his entire body completely numb from shock.

It was impossible, completely impossible. There was no way that he could actually… Cloud had watched him _die_, had been there, right next to him. There was _no way_ that he had managed to survive. Absolutely _no way_. And yet… here he was, in front of him, clear as day and completely, totally whole. Even the possibility that the man in front of him was dead, merely preserved within the mako faded away as those violet eyes closed slowly before opening, the movement sluggish but still there.

"Zack?" he whispered hoarsely, stepping forward and raising a hand to press it against the glass gently, his blue eyes wide in surprise and laced with a touch of pain. The face inside the pod changed slightly as the eyebrows pressed together in confusion, the sparkle in those brilliant eyes changing slightly. Slowly and awkwardly, the man raised an arm, the back of his hand sliding up the glass as it hit it before he bent his elbow and moved so that his palm was pressing against the glass almost perfectly behind Cloud's. The eyes moved momentarily from Cloud's wide gaze to their hands, before returning, the wonder turning to confusion with a small hint of wariness.

The lips moved again, this time more exact and less haphazard, and Cloud nearly choked as he literally stopped breathing, eyes fixed on those lips as they formed a word that Cloud could always read. After all, it was his name.

"Zack," he repeated, the wonder fading from his voice to be replaced by something that was bordering on pure pain. "Zack." The name was a mantra, his voice loosing its volume as he kept speaking, throat thick with something he refused to name. Behind him he heard footsteps, but he couldn't care any less. Rude's voice floated from the lab upstairs a little while later, and Cloud absently noted that the Turk must be on the phone with someone. Not that he was really paying attention. He was rooted to the spot, hand glued to the glass and his mouth endlessly forming the ex-SOLDIER's name over and over again. Behind the glass, Zack was doing the same thing, raising another hand to press against the glass as soon as he realized that he could, and pushing forward until his forehead also touched the glass, looking down at the blond with wonder and happiness.

"Hey Buttercup," Reno's voice was strange when he spoke, almost strangled and coming from far off. Cloud tilted his head slightly, scowling lightly at the name but not bothering to do anything about it. He was too trapped in Zack's gaze to truly respond, too afraid that if he looked away fro even a second the man would retreat into the mako and be gone forever.

"What?" he responded softly, shortly, unable to keep the wonder from making his voice sound muted, slurred. It was as if he was just waking up from a dream, his mind unused to working at full speed. Zack's eyebrows twitched and his hands moved slightly on the glass, as if he had heard through the thick layer separating them. Cloud knew better than that. He knew that Hojo's containers blocked out all but the loudest of screams. There was no way Zack had heard his voice. Not yet, anyways.

"You… may want to get away from Fair and take a look at this," Reno said, and Cloud knew he wasn't imagining the slightly disturbed edge it had. Frowning lightly, he leaned forward and touched his forehead to the glass, eyes giving a silent promise that he would be back as soon as he could, and then he stepped away. He could feel Zack's eyes on him as he turned and walked towards Reno, scowling as he realized the Turk wasn't even looking at him, instead he was focused on something in a tank in front of him.

"What the hell is it Re-" he started, following Reno's gaze, and he froze. There, inside the tank, was something that gave him eerie flashbacks to Jenova's holding tank. It was… Zack. Only, not complete. He had one arm and half a torso, the rest dissolving off into strands of flesh, the mako tainted with a hint of red from the open portions. The face itself wasn't even complete, the skin wracked with holes where muscle and bone were visible. Cloud went numb, and he knew that any semblance of emotion on his face was wiped completely bare. Methodically, neutrally, he walked down the rows of tanks, peering into each one and finding some semblance of his mentor in each one. Some were partially made, some were mutated, he found some with gills, two heads, misshapen faces, and some that were clearly dead, just left to rot in the mako. Yet none of them were anything resembling the awake and moving man in the first tank. He was Zack in every way… except… "No," Cloud gasped, a sudden pain stabbing at his chest. He turned on heel and ran over to the tank, nearly plowing down Reno and not really caring as the Turk made a noise of protest. He hit against the tank with a heavy thunk, searching the frowning face for something, _anything_ that would make this Zack. That would make this his friend, his mentor, the man he-

There was nothing.

A whine escaped Cloud's throat, he couldn't help it. It was _Zack_, he couldn't be the same person in front of him… whenever anything had to do with him… he changed. He grew frantic, emotional. He couldn't be the stoic hero around him. Instead, he turned into the teenager he had been when he knew the SOLDIER. He collapsed to the floor, breath coming in gasps and his vision spinning. He had been so sure. So _relieved_… and now…

Every scar was gone. Zack's skin was as smooth as a baby's, and Cloud would stake his life on the fact that it had never been touched before. The criss-cross scar on his cheek was nothing but a smooth patch of skin, and every spot that Cloud knew a bullet had gone in was completely empty. There wasn't a scratch on him, nothing that even hinted at a past as a warrior.

It was… an imitation.

A replica… a _clone_. Nothing but an empty shell, a baby in a man's body. Hojo had probably taught him Cloud's name as a sick joke. Hoping that maybe when his pets were discovered Cloud would be the one leading the charge.

He banged a fist against the glass, feeling spidering cracks spread from where his fist made impact… and he didn't care. He couldn't care. The person inside the pod may look like Zack, but it wasn't him. Who knew what changes Hojo made to his… his… Gaia… it was too painful to even think about.

"Clones," Rude said, obviously back from his phone call to headquarters. Cloud could hear him and Reno shifting through papers, but he didn't care anymore, instead only flinching when the word was said. He was staring at the metal beneath the glass, a plate that held no name, only numbers. It made his mouth twist in a bitter, animalistic smile. "Apparently made from a DNA sample taken from Fair before he died. Says here that none of them showed any promise, and none of them even took that final step towards life," he glanced up at the case that Cloud was currently slumped in front of and frowned, allowing Reno to impatiently snatch the files out of his hand.

"Ah no, here, in a later report," Reno said, sounding triumphant as he walked closer to the case where the full Zack was being kept. "It says something about number… 468581 gaining a conscious mind. But it… shit…" Reno looked up at the man floating in the Mako, obviously disturbed. "Cloud… that… that thing's sentient. It only has the mentality of a baby… but… it can be taught. Its not a monster… it's a fucking person."

Cloud flinched again, grinding his teeth together in irritation. The three of them lapsed into silence, Reno and Rude staring in disgusted fascination at the clone floating in the mako, and Cloud merely collapsed and tense at the base of the container. Finally, Reno cleared his throat again, seriously weirder out by this entire thing.

"Cloud… really… its up to you," he said, obviously displeased about that. "Our only orders were to find and destroy the research facility, yo. The Pres didn't say nothin' bout what we found here."

"Kill them," Cloud's voice was soft, but the venom that laced his words was enough to make both Turks wince. They knew that tone… it was the tone Cloud got whenever someone mentioned Sephiroth to him, or whenever he received word that someone had kicked over or tried to take Zack's sword on the cliffs. It was the tone that meant the shit was about to hit the fan, and that people probably weren't gonna survive. "Kill them all. They're," his voice broke, and he closed his mouth abruptly, swallowing thickly and shaking his head as he pushed himself to his feet, refusing to look at the… thing… floating inside the mako, "nothing but Hojo's playthings."

"… Even?" Reno ventured, waving his hand absently at the container housing the only awake Zack copy. Cloud turned on him almost instantly; his blue eyes blazing with anger and… something Reno couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Every. Last. One," Cloud grit out before storming up the steps and out into the main lab. Reno sighed and made a face, hitting Rude lightly in the chest before stepping forward.

"You heard the emo boy. Time to get to work, partner."

----

'Cloud.'

The name was repeating over and over in the man's head… and he didn't even know why. All he knew was that the man in front of him, the man with sunshine for hair and a sky for eyes was Cloud. His Cloud.

Cloud had walked in, not even seen him, but he had seen Cloud. He had seen and followed Cloud, willing his body to move through whatever he was trapped in to get closer to the glass. It was… strange, to say the least. He didn't know who this man was or how he knew him, only that something about him made happiness bubble in his chest and made him want to scream in joy. Cloud meant something… although… he wasn't quite sure what that something was.

And then Cloud turned, and he looked angry. For a moment the man thought it was at him, and he stared at Cloud with a pout in his eyes. He couldn't quite move his limbs or face yet, so he was depending solely on his eyes. Not that it mattered, he was so thrilled to be out of the darkness that nothing could have distressed him, not even if Cloud hadn't have been there when he opened his eyes. He held the boy's gaze, feeling his heart beat sluggishly in his chest as the man with sunshine hair walked closer. Cloud's lips were moving, forming something, and the man realized that he was doing something similar… but from what he could feel, what he was mouthing was nowhere near what Cloud was saying. Maybe… maybe since he was saying Cloud, and this person was _definitely_ Cloud, then Cloud was telling him who he was?

He stared at the man's lips, unconsciously starting to mirror the movements, feeling them out with his lips and tongue. _Z… Za… Za…..ck… Zack._ Zack.

Suddenly, recognition lit his mind. Zack. That was his name. That was who he was. He didn't know who gave him that name, and he never recalled anyone calling him that, but he knew that he was known as Zack as surely as he knew that the man in front of him was Cloud.

Cloud moved his arm, pressing a dark hand against the thing that was in front of him. Zack thought it was strange how Cloud's face was so light but his hand was dark, but he didn't really pay much attention to it, instead he was marveling at how his own arm seemed to automatically fight against the liquid he was in to raise and press his hand up where Cloud's was.

He was lost in those blue eyes, completely entranced. Everything was so familiar about Cloud, yet so incredibly new. He knew that this was the first time he had seen the other man… and yet… he also knew that he had seen him many times before. It was a strange feeling… and it kind of made his head hurt.

He didn't know how long he was just staring at Cloud, completely lost, and he didn't really care. But all too soon the blond made a face and started moving. Zack couldn't help but pout, or… attempt to pout. It was really just an automatic frown that brought his lips together and made his brows furrow. Either way, he could almost see a smile tugging at Cloud's lips before the blond left. Zack watched carefully until the blond walked far enough so that the metal around him blocked his view. He huffed, and then found that he didn't have any breath to do so. So instead, he choked slightly before realizing it was better if he didn't do anything at all. So then he waited while looking around and memorizing every little detail he could see.

He didn't know where he was, but it didn't really bother him. Honestly, he was so happy that he could actually _see_ everything around him that he could care less as to _what_ was around him. However, his carefree attitude about things changed when Cloud ran back over, looking absolutely upset. He frowned, feeling a surge of protectiveness towards the blond, and he raised both his hands to press them on the glass, leaning forward until his forehead was touching the glass as well, trying to ask the blond what was wrong through his body language and his eyes. Unfortunately, Cloud was too busy hyperventilating (how he knew that word and how he knew Cloud was doing it, he wasn't too sure) and sweeping his eyes over Zack's face and chest to meet his eyes. Finally, the blond made a strange face, and Zack swore he could almost feel a strangled sound come from the boy as he collapsed.

Zack waited, unable to do anything else, and just stared, every muscle in his body tense, his eyes darting from Cloud to the two others standing nearby. He had a strange urge to just shove Cloud behind him and beat the other two up, in case they were what was causing that weird look of distress on the boy's face. But more than that, he just wanted his arms around the boy so he could… so he could… could what? Soothe him? Protect him? Why? Cloud seemed like he was strong, maybe even stronger than Zack. And there Cloud had that large metal… thing on his back while Zack only had what, his fists?

And then Cloud was gone, gone without even looking at him, and that confused Zack to no end, enough that he pressed his face to the glass in an attempt to watch Cloud as he walked away before allowing himself to float backwards, feeling his face go carefully blank, not reflecting the confusion and turmoil sifting around inside of him. He watched with muted interest as the two other men methodically hit the glass of tubes much like the one he was in. Green liquid poured out of each, along with strange masses that all seemed to have some sort of… similarities between them.

Finally, the one with red hair made its way to the container that Zack was in, and he seemed to pause, looking him over. In return, Zack quirked an eyebrow up, mouth open slightly in confusion. The man paused slightly, a strange weapon in his hand, and he made a face as his mouth moved, using words that Zack couldn't quite place or follow. And then, the redhead's hand moved forward and Zack closed his eyes in a wince as the sound of shattering glass reverberated through the chamber. All of a sudden, he felt himself pulled forward as the liquid he was encased in flooded forward and out of the container. As soon as his mouth and nose were free, he started choking and coughing up globs up the green liquid, following the mess out of the container where he lay on the ground, hacking and retching until finally he collapsed on his side, gasping and shivering as he tasted air for the first... no, that wasn't right… again… again was a better word. As he tasted air again. And all of a sudden, he couldn't move, as much as he screamed at his body to pick itself up, he just lay there, staring and blinking, breath coming in shaky little gasps.

A pair of shoes made their way in front of his vision, and something hit him in the side, causing him to roll onto his back. He glared up at the redhead above him, not even sparing a glance and the strange weapon pointed at his face. He knew somehow that the thing meant instant death if the redhead were to use it, but he couldn't bring himself to panic or to really care. All he wanted to do was to glare at the man for whatever he did to upset the Cloud that had been staring at him.

The Cloud? No, that wasn't right. Cloud. Just Cloud.

"Rude," the redhead made a face, tilting the gun – gun? How had he known that? – upwards and making a face to someone to his right. "I… I can't just shoot him. I mean, the others just stared blankly, and that's fine. But he's… he's glaring at me man, its fucking freaky as hell," he glance back down at Zack, who was still glaring, but now his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. For some reason he… understood. He knew the words that they two were saying. And… he knew them. He couldn't tell from behind the glass, but he knew them. Rude and… Rehnel? Rehnoo? Rehnoh? Re… Reenoh. Reno. "Zack used to give me that same goddamn look," Reno muttered, glaring right back at Zack.

For some reason, the man had an irresistible urge to stick out his tongue… and for once his body seemed to want to comply with that demand.

Although, from shocked and slightly disturbed look on Reno's face, maybe just glaring would have been a better option.

"Holy SHIT. Gaia… I swear. CLOUD," he yelled, turning to the stairs and storming up them to yell through the doorway. "You want to kill the fucker then you do it yourself. He just stuck his goddamn _tongue _out at me. His _TONGUE_."

Zack heard movement from where Reno is, and there was a small argument that was too quiet for him to hear, and then finally Cloud emerged from the doorway, looking pissed off. However, Zack could see signs of stress on the man's face. The way his lips were pressed together, the way the edges of his eyes crinkled, the way his nostrils were flaring just a bit too much and too rapidly. He could easily see anger, confusion, and sorrow on the kid's face, and that didn't include his eyes. For some reason, as Zack stared into Cloud's eyes, he could see so many other things. The kid was questioning himself, worrying, he was frayed, pained, and there was still a faint glimmer of hope almost completely eclipsed by whatever negative thoughts he had been telling himself. Honestly, it made Zack want to scoff and whack him upside the head.

With a quick motion that made something similar to pride rise in Zack's chest, Cloud had taken the sword off of his back and pressed the point to Zack's throat. He could feel the sharp metal press against his throat with every breath he took and each swallow he made, and for some reason it didn't freak him out. This was Cloud, as much as the Chocobo strutted about, he didn't have the heart to just cut people down like that.

_Chocobo? What?_

"Well?" Reno prompted, sounding smug. Rude elbowed him in the side, earning a yelp. Cloud just sneered, something that looked so out of place on his carefully sculpted features. And Zack stared, silently daring him to do so while also giving him an understanding glance. It came so naturally to him, and as Cloud raised his arm and got transfixed by that gaze, he couldn't help but stop, arm shaking and teeth grinding, lips pulled back in a silent snarl. His eyes were locked with Zack's and Zack could almost see the inner struggle that was pulling at Cloud at the moment, it was all just flickering back and forth in his eyes.

_That's why he wouldn't have made a good SOLDIER. His eyes really are the windows to his soul._

He frowned slightly at that thought, breaking whatever spell he and Cloud had been building, and with a snarl Cloud brought the sword down, but by then Zack was barely bothered by it. He was too busy pushing after that fleeting thought, wondering what the hell SOLDIER was and why thinking about it made his head and chest ache so much.

The sword imbedded itself into the ground only centimeters away from Zack's ear, and he glanced at Cloud's hand on the hilt, following the arm up to meet Cloud's eyes again, and he smiled gently as he saw the rage and self hate in Cloud's eyes.

"Cloud man, I think he's the real deal," Reno said gently, trying to not sound triumphant and failing miserably at it. The blond snarled again, yanking the sword out of the ground and slamming it onto his back, whirling to glare at the redhead before stomping up the stairs again. However, this time he paused at the top long enough to heave a weary sigh.

"That is _NOT_ Zack," he finally said, voice carefully monotone. "But… killing him would be like… killing a person," the blond continued, unable to keep his mental exhaustion out of his voice. Zack made a face at the comment. He _was_ Zack! Why was that so hard for these people to realize? He knew he was Zack, and thus he was Zack. But Cloud and Reno seemed completely convinced otherwise… and Zack didn't know how to tell them his side. "Get him some clothes and get him in the chopper. We can… take him to a hospital or something on the way back and figure out what to do with him."

And with that, Cloud strode out of sight, leaving Reno and Rude to clean up the rest of the mess. The redhead groaned and glanced down at Zack, who merely glared back, thoroughly annoyed by his presence. "Why do we get stuck babysitting?" he asked his partner, and Zack resolved to bite whatever part of the obnoxious one he was presented with first once he got the opportunity. It was the least Reno deserved for all his lip. "And do we even _have_ extra clothes in the chopper?"

Rude made a grunting noise that apparently mean yes if Reno's confused glance was anything to go by. "A complete outfit?" he asked. Another grunt. "Why the hell do we have _that_ in the chopper? We only packed for a few hours!"

Rude gave Reno a look that made Zack want to start laughing as the redhead hoisted him to his feet and slung one of Zack's arms over his shoulders. Unsupported, Zack's head lolled forward, making it increasingly difficult to go through with biting the redhead. Rude hoisted Zack's other arm over his shoulders, and the man found himself hanging a few inches off the floor, blinking dazedly as the ground moved beneath him. It was a weird feeling.

"Costa del Sol," Rude finally said as they got Zack up the stairs and started maneuvering around the clutter in the laboratory. Reno sputtered and tripped a little, and Zack manage to roll his head just enough to see a faint flush of embarrassment spread across the redhead's cheeks.

"That was one time! And it was a fluke!" he protested loudly, still managing to sound whiny even as he was yelling in anger. Zack rolled his eyes beneath the cover of his bangs.

Rude gave him another look, but this time responded almost immediately. "If you can rip your pants off getting out of a chopper, you can ruin an entire outfit just walking down the street."

Reno's indignant sputtering was revenge enough for Zack, who just hung there and chuckled quietly, enjoying his almost personal revenge.


	2. Homecoming

AN: and here we are! The next chapter! I'm already a good chunk into chapter three, so it won't be too long before that's out too~ Also, downed the rating by one, seeing as how the fic is going, its probably just gonna border upper T, but won't cross into M. If that changes, I'll let you all know !

OMG REVIEWS!!!! I can't tell you how much I ended up fangirl squealing over them, but just know I totally did xD

And a GIANT thank you to YuYan for being a wonderful beta!! Mucho luff~

**Chapter One**

Reno and Rude had left them at the airport to go do paperwork of some kind. Really, Cloud was pretty sure that the redhead was just having fun torturing him in any way possible. After all, it was completely impossible to get a near comatose man to not fall off during a half hour motorcycle ride to Seventh Heaven, and Reno _had_ to have known that when he just flew off and left Cloud supporting Zack's weight.

Which, after an uncomfortable walk, lots of glares at unwelcome stares, a bit of swearing, and a lot of nearly failed positioning, resulted in Cloud straddling the motorcycle, glaring at the man slumped back against the handlebars. He'd been sitting there for about two hours just attempting to figure out how he was supposed to do this and so far… he didn't have any ideas. Sure, there was attempting to tie Zack to him for the ride, but he just really wasn't that comfortable with having the man – clone – that close to him at the moment. Hell, he'd rather just be gone and let someone else deal with it.

"Damn it," Cloud groaned, dragging a hand down his face in an attempt to get himself to focus. As if he could just hand him off to someone… that was… completely out of the question, even if it wasn't _really_ Zack. He glanced upwards, finding those familiar eyes boring into him again, and he couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in his seat. It was as if those eyes were just penetrating him, reading his very soul. He could vaguely remember Zack's eyes being just like that, always looking at him and knowing exactly what he was thinking and feeling. It was eerie. "Don't look at me like that," he finally ended up snapping, picking at the leather seat of Fenrir absently. "I'm still thinking about what to do with you."

A sound came from the dark-haired man, and Cloud's head snapped up in surprise. It took him a moment of just staring at the face in front of him, taking in the amused glint in those violet eyes and the soft smirk on those lips, in order to realize that the other man had just _laughed_. Not grunted or… made some sound that people in Zack's situation would probably make, but actually outright _laughed_.

Needless to say, it confused Cloud to no end, and despite his best efforts he couldn't help but feel something akin to hope lighting up inside of him.

"Zack?" he ventured, hating how childish and unsure his voice sounded. He hadn't spoken like that in years…not since…well, not since the day that Zack died. Everything seemed to stand still as those eyes met his again, this time free of the veil of distaste Cloud had pulled down between them. It was almost as if-

"Hey kiddo! Need a lift?" a voice yelled out, and Cloud jumped slightly despite his best effort not to. It was just then that he realized the air was filled with the smell of petrol and the sound of a dirty engine attempting to run as smoothly as the other cars, and as he took in the sight of the truck humming nearby and the man leaning cordially out of the window, relief swept over him.

"You going near Seventh Heaven?" he asked, pushing himself off of the bike and absently dusting off the clothes that hung around him. Even if he didn't really _need_ to do so, he was still surprised that dust actually came off. That lab had been completely coated in it.

"Yeah, actually, meetin' up with a friend a few blocks down," the man said, tipping his hat back with a hand and sweeping a glance over the two of them. "Bike problems?"

"You could say that," Cloud responded evenly, falling back on that careless way he'd taken to addressing everyone he met. It wasn't disrespectful, merely void of emotion either way. He moved around the bike to throw Zack's arm around his shoulder, hoisting the man up and stumbling despite his strength. He'd forgotten how much bigger the man was, not just in the few inches that separated them, but in general bulkiness. Zack had always been built for strength while Cloud, in comparison, was perfectly built for speed.

The blond shook his head to clear his mind, determined to focus despite the mental strain his mind was protesting. He slowly made his way to the back of the truck, fumbling for the hatch for a moment before the back end swung down, leaning Zack over it as he nimbly jumped into the bed. He carefully hoisted the other man into the back, reaching behind him to close the hatch before falling back, heaving a sigh of relief that he hadn't allowed himself before.

"You just gonna leave your bike here?" the man asked, watching the two of them carefully through the rearview mirror. Cloud merely glanced at the bike and shrugged. If worst came to worst and the bike was lifted, it wasn't as if he didn't have means of tracking it down. Besides, if explosions and many, many crashes didn't put a dent in Fenrir's hide, he was pretty sure nothing could.

"It'll be fine. I'm coming back to pick it up in the morning," he explained, and with a shrug the driver hit the gas and they began their bumpy ride.

Despite himself, Cloud kept glancing over at Zack, making sure that he was alright, that he wasn't going to tip over the edge of the truck at any given moment. And really, there wasn't that much of a need to. Despite the fact that Zack was completely unresponsive, he managed to slump into the corner in such a way that even though his head rolled and shook with the bumps in the road, his body didn't move all that much. There was something familiar about it…about this entire situation…but Cloud couldn't really put his finger on it.

_A flash of light. Everything was too bright, he couldn't see anything clearly. It was bumpy, rocking him, painful, uncomfortable. A voice. He clung to it. Asking if they were friends. Of course they were. What kind of question was that? A bump, his head moved, a smile as bright as day. He wanted to smile back, he really did. There was no way he could see that smile and not do the same. His body was still, silent, everything was too bright, the colors blending together. A hand in his hair, messing it. He hated it , he really did, but it felt so good right now, so warm. He felt safe, protected, loved…_

Cloud's eyes snapped open before he realized he had closed them, and his entire body twitched in surprise, hands shooting out to brace him against the metal of the truck as his breath came in quick gasps, vision swimming and a little too bright. He was still squirming, legs pushing against the metal without being able to get a good grip on it. Finally, he found a groove, and pushed against it, comforted by the utterly solid feel of the truck around him. He tried to move his eyes, almost desperate to look at the man… the _thing_ that looked like Zack, yet it took so much effort. His mind was spinning, he was fighting from being caught in a flashback, of following his mind through time seeing what he knew he didn't want to see, not again, not now, not with his image a few feet from him. Every movement of the landscape caught his attention, his eyes flickering between rocks and trees and buildings and people, until he finally wrenched his eyes away from all of that to look into those violet eyes that were still watching his every move.

He licked his suddenly chapped lips, trying to calm his breath and the beating of his heart but to no avail. That's why this situation had been nagging at him, why he felt so uncomfortable all of a sudden. It was a complete reversal of what had happened three years ago. They were in the back of a truck again, but this time instead of Cloud being the one to be completely unresponsive and slumped against the side while Zack kept talking to him, still treating him just as he had before all the experimentation, it was Zack who was slumped against the metal… and Cloud felt a sudden and strange urge to begin speaking, to say something, _anything_, and attempt to fill his role.

Unbidden, the words slipped from his mouth, as if he was still caught in his memories, giving a voice to the words that floated around his mind.

"We're friends, right?"

----

Unknown to Cloud, Zack was wrestling with almost the same exact thoughts, only his began earlier, as soon as he was supported by and shoved about by Cloud. There was something eerily familiar about all of this…and yet he couldn't shake the fact that it should be the other way around. That he should be the one walking while Cloud was slung over his shoulder. Not that Cloud _needed_ to be carried. He was walking fine on his own, and that was a good thing… but that wasn't how it was supposed to be. That wasn't what happened.

What happened?

Zack blinked, glancing at Cloud and noticing the pure annoyance on his face as he glared at yet another woman staring at them and muttering behind her hand to a friend. He couldn't help but feel a bit of affection for the kid really. He was just so amusing when he was growling, which was weird because outwardly it made him look downright menacing, like someone you'd want to stay away from for your own safety. But somehow…somehow Zack knew that wasn't the case. No matter how Cloud spoke or acted right now something was telling him he should be rolling his eyes and baiting that bright eyed, sarcastic, heartfelt teenager out of him.

He'd long stopped wondering how he knew that. It was easier to just accept it.

Cloud was…strange really. No matter how he grumbled about Zack and no matter what he did or said that spelled hatred and distaste for whatever he believed Zack to be, he was uncommonly gentle with him. As they walked he made sure that Zack's feet weren't dragging on the floor, hoisting him up just enough so that he was barely even touching the ground. Whenever someone bumped into them, he glared them away, steering the both of them more carefully around obstacles. When they reached the motorcycle, his touch was light and gentle, almost soothing as he made sure that Zack was positioned so he didn't fall over.

It all made a smile light up Zack's eyes, even as he was wrestling with that feeling of nostalgia. He could sense Cloud's mounting impatience and distress about something but for the moment he didn't concern himself with it. Instead, he merely studied the blond, taking in his appearance and judging it against…something. Some unknown image that he couldn't quite call to mind. Cloud looked…old. Older than Zack presumed he was. It was his eyes. There was a timeless pain in those eyes, a dull glint that came from seeing things no one should ever have to see. But maybe it wasn't just that. There was something about his face, perhaps it was more… angled?

A frown pulled at Zack's lips as he traced the planes of the blonde's face, inwardly nodding. That was it. Cloud's face, at least to his rather strange and insisting mind, should be rounder, smoother, more of a child's face. The face in front of him was square, thin, and with pale skin, yet it seemed to have been weathered. It was strange. It was undeniably Cloud as some part of his mind remembered, yet he looked… different, so much so that it caused something to ache in both Zack's mind and chest.

Cloud started at some unknown sound, one that Zack vaguely noted and paid no attention to, instead watching as a sense of relief seemed to calm the boy's tense features. Words were exchanged, words that Zack dismissed as his eyes found something large and metal had pulled up next to them.

_A… Truck? Hm._

Zack was snapped back to attention as Cloud gently moved him, carrying him from the bike to the back of this truck and settling them both down carefully. More words were exchanged, and this time Zack really tried to catch them, only to have the meaning of them slip away under the buzzing in his head. Something…something was too familiar about this situation and it was distracting. He couldn't focus on any one thing, instead letting his eyes dart around taking in his surroundings and the sight of the truck bed. Every bump in the road caused him to jerk, and instead of feeling pain as he assumed he should, the sense of familiarity grew into a headache, a constant throb of pain as they moved along. What was it that he was brushing up against not quite remembering, but knowing it was there?

And then Cloud spoke, and Zack's mind jumped.

"_What're you gonna do once we get to Midgar?"_

_A truck. Cold metal, warmed slightly by the sun but cooled by the wind. The wind… it had been far too long since he'd felt that. Rocks and sand rushing by, each bump felt in the sorry excuse of a vehicle they were riding in. The old man was grumbling. Zack didn't blame them, they must've looked pretty weird. He's tired, tired from the sun and tired from the trials. He just wants to rest, but he can't. Not yet._

"_Think there's anything I'd be good at?"_

_Cloud doesn't respond, just stares ahead, vibrant eyes oddly dull. Zack doesn't care, couldn't care, he's talking just to talk, hoping against all hope that he can lead Cloud out of the darkness he's in. Silence, he hates it. Hates it more that he's okay while Cloud… but maybe, against all hope, they could keep living? This wouldn't completely destroy them?_

"_So Cloud? What are you gonna do?"_

_He shifts, makes a sound, Zack swears it was a grunt, but as he leans forward the blond head bobs again, mouth slack and eyes that horrible dark blue. Empty. He leans back, takes in the sun, sun he hadn't seen in a long time. He speaks some more, not even paying attention to his own words, until he realizes something. He's leaving Cloud out to dry. He really isn't, but he's sounding like he is. He leans forward and stares at the blond, wondering just what had happened to him back at Shinra._

"_Just kidding… I won't leave you hanging like that. We're friends, right?"_

_He's pressed up against the side of the truck, wedged between metal. Its uncomfortable, but worth it. The wind is blowing in his hair and his eyes are focused on a head of blond hair. The sun is bright, almost painfully so but he doesn't care. It feels too good to truly hurt. He reaches out, ruffling that blond head, smiling almost painfully as it bobs under his attention and the bumps in the road, the blue eyes open but unseeing._

And things came flooding back. Not everything, definitely not everything. There were holes so big he could walk through them, but still, some loose ends were tied, faces formed, words made sense. He remembered being in a truck with Cloud. He remembered the boy being unresponsive. They were leaving…leaving something called Shinra in order to get to freedom.

He remembered glass, cold glass under his fingers. Remembered it giving, remembered stumbling around, disoriented. He remembered how green that pale skin and golden hair had looked under the light of mako. He remembered the guns, the fight, and ultimately, he remembered the look of pain on the kid's face.

He had… died? Had he really died? He certainly recalled the waves of regret that had washed over him as Cloud dragged himself to where Zack had fallen. He remembered unfulfilled hopes, dreams, and chances. But Gaia help him, even if he knew they were there he didn't know what they were. SOLDIER, first class. Zackary Fair. He knew the words as well as he knew the image of a large sword fit with them like pieces in a puzzle; he just didn't know why. What was SOLDIER? What was Shinra? Why had Cloud been unresponsive, much like Zack was now? Why were the pods that Cloud had been in, that he had burst out of, so similar to the one he had woken up in? Why was his memory so fragmented? How did he know things without remembering them?

He was spinning, falling, his mind moving too fast for him to follow. Questions floated around, voices he vaguely remembered sounded, and faces flickered in his minds eye like a movie gone wrong. He knew images, but he couldn't tie them to names. He remembered the sounds of voices, but he didn't know what they were saying or where he had heard them. His vision started tunneling, and he knew in the back of his mind that he was going into overload. His mind was working too fast for him to follow, he was starting to black out.

No. Not gonna happen.

He stubbornly sought out something, anything, to hold onto, to ground himself in reality, to keep him awake. And as much as a godsend as always, his eyes fell on Cloud. The blond had curled up slightly, arms wrapped around his knees and his head buried in his arms. He looked vulnerable, tired and confused but for the first time Zack had seen him today, his shoulders weren't completely tense. It was almost as if he had given up.

A sudden pain spread from the center of Zack's head, causing him to wince and want to raise a hand up to his head. He felt like his skull was about to split open with each beat of his heart and no matter how much he wanted to raise a hand to his head, to push against his temples in an attempt to just get it to stop pounding, he couldn't move. Sure his fingers twitched, but that was it. He scrunched his eyes closed, hissing between his teeth as he realized that actually made it worse. Forcing his eyes to open, he squinted against the light that assaulted him and finally he settled on Cloud again, eyes sweeping over every inch of his outfit, taking in the shape of the sword on his back, the cape that folded around him, the one sleeve on his arm, how he was clutching desperately at his knees trying to not let anyone know he was doing something more than resting his head and relaxing. And slowly, as he traced the lines of the boy – man – in front of him, Zack felt the pain start to subside. The lights seemed to dim slightly around him until finally, everything was normal again.

Well, everything except the fact that Cloud was still in that vulnerable position. Frankly it made Zack uneasy.

'Cloud,' his mind said softly, as if attempting to call to the boy, to snap him out of whatever self-hating trance he was going into. And suddenly, that was Zack's only goal. His lips twitched, and he focused on one thing at a time, getting his lips to mouth the word as his tongue moved, not used to forming syllables. Finally, he managed that part. The next step…well…he couldn't quite remember how to do it. He knew that he was just as capable as everyone else at producing sound. After all his mind was practically aching with the need to be running off his mouth. But for some reason…it was harder than it should be.

He spent minutes, hours, eternities, just focusing on that one small thing, not paying attention to where they were or the fact that the buildings were closing in around them as they drove into the heart of the city. Cloud didn't seem to notice either, remaining immobile and in that position. The driver had flipped on the radio, almost drowning out the sounds of the city around them.

"C…" he finally managed, breathing out at just the right point, and a spark ignited in his eyes. It was a meaningful first step…now the next sound…how was that made?

Zack slowly formed the shape of the "l" in his mouth, remembering how his throat had seemed to tense when he uttered the harsher syllable of the "c". He didn't utter the noise, not quite yet. He was almost certain that he was getting the hang of it…he didn't want to spoil whatever would happen by struggling through the word for a few minutes. He wanted the full impact…whatever that would be.

And finally, just as the truck seemed to be slowing, as if searching for their destination, Zack tried his luck, forcing his throat to work despite the almost painful protests it was making. He raised his eyes, locking them on that blond head in front of him as he mouthed the word one last time before taking a deep breath and pushing it out of his throat.

"Clo-" he uttered just as the truck groaned to a stop, eyes desperate as his voice was lost under the unhealthy screech of the brakes.

----

As the screech of rusty brakes sounded, Cloud opened his eyes, staring at the dark metal beneath him for a moment before sighing and raising his head, blinking at the sudden onslaught of light and squinting against it as he looked around, taking in the familiar visage of Seventh Heaven before him. Thinking back, he really should have called Tifa with the news before coming over. Oh well, she'd deal with it. He was really just too tired to think through the consequences and lectures he'd be faced with for just walking through the door with Zack in tow.

Speaking of which, it was probably time to get moving, as much as his muscles were protesting it. It was strange, he hadn't felt this tired since the geostigma was cured, and he hadn't even been doing anything physically demanding. Perhaps it was…his emotions? Truth be told, he hadn't felt this scraped raw since he'd watched Zack… well…since that time on the cliff. And now, faced with an almost perfect replica of that man…his control was slipping. He could write it off as shock and anger back at the lab, but now that he was calmer and starting to get used to looking over and seeing his mentor sitting there, an almost empty shell, he should have been getting over it. Instead, he could feel himself slipping. Just seeing Zack there made him want to talk, to allow himself to feel what he'd forcibly shut off years ago. He was loosing it, keeping himself from just breaking down by only a thread of self-control. He needed to get Zack inside, hand him off to Tifa, and just lock himself in his room. That was all.

Cloud glanced over at Zack, noticing and deciding to ignore the look of despair those eyes seemed to be giving him. It was so reminiscent of Zack's pouts that it threatened to send chills down Cloud's face if he thought too much about it. The more he looked at him, the more he saw the raw emotion those eyes carried, the more his heart seemed to ache and scream that this was his mentor, his friend, someone he had hoped to-

Stop. He'd left those thoughts on the cliff three years ago, and the appearance of this cheap…imitation wasn't going to change things.

Mouth drawn in a line of fierce determination, the blond pushed himself to his feet, opening the truck bed and jumping down with ease, taking great care to pull Zack off without causing him to get hurt on the edge or something. Throwing that oh-so-familiar arm around his shoulders, Cloud guided Zack around the truck after kicking the step back up.

"Hey," Cloud said as he walked Zack past the cab of the truck, glancing at the driver. "I owe you one. You ever need something done just stop by the bar. Anything at all."

"No worries kid, you looked like you needed the help," the man said, tipping his hat towards Cloud and sparing a glance at the man seemingly passed out next to him. "Good luck to you and your friend," and with that, he pulled back into traffic, the truck spewing black smoke behind it.

Cloud couldn't help but cough as the smoke hit him, frowning at the man's disregard to the health of the people that lined the streets every day. "Well," he said, more to himself than to the man he was supported. He was _not_ in _any_ way going to start holding conversations with it. "Time to face the music, I guess," and with that, he worked his way up the steps and into the bar, shouldering the door open.

The bar was blissfully empty, and Cloud set Zack down in one of the chairs near the door sparing a glance to make sure he didn't fall off before walking forward quietly, amused despite himself at the grumbling that accompanied quiet clinks of glass from behind the counter. Looks like it was one of those cleaning days for Tifa.

"Ah, sorry! I'll be with you in a second!" Tifa's voice called up from behind the bar as Cloud tapped the wood meaningfully with a gloved hand. He couldn't help but feel affection for her, she'd taught him that trying to leave them behind wasn't really wise almost a year ago.

"I'm back," he said after letting Tifa's work echo through the bar. Suddenly, the sounds of cleaning and the clinking of glasses stopped, and only a few seconds later her head popped up, a gentle smile plastered on her features.

"Welcome home," she said softly before, as Cloud knew they would, her eyes darted over her shoulder to the figure slumped in the chair, the glass she was holding falling from her suddenly lax fingers. Cloud snapped a hand forward, catching the falling object and placing it gently on the bar as Tifa vaulted over it. A few years ago, the action would have surprised Cloud a little. He had been used to Tifa the girl more than Tifa the warrior. Now, he just followed her with his eyes, leaning against the bar as she walked over to the chair, bending over as she lifted Zack's head gently with her hand.

"How?" she asked softly, voice seeming loud in the suddenly silent bar. "I thought you said… I thought he was dead," she stood up again, turning around to Cloud with a disturbingly sympathetic face. It made the blond bristle slightly. He didn't need sympathy. He needed sleep. That was it, really. Once he slept then he could rebuild his shields. Gaia…was he really slipping that much that his distress was evident? Did he look like he needed sympathy? Or maybe that was just Tifa, she always did have a knack of reading him, almost as much as Zack had.

"He is," he said finally, carefully keeping a disinterested tone in his voice. Tifa gave him the face that clearly read 'keep being cryptic and you'll be eating my fist'. Not that she could have punched him unless he let her…but he wasn't too sure how willing he'd be to actually dodge at the moment. "That's…we went to one of Hojo's hidden labs," he finally said, hating how Tifa frowned worriedly at his forcibly neutral tone. "They were…it was a project. He was the only survivor…" he glanced away, picking up the glass to distract himself for a moment, feeling Tifa's eyes on him willing him to continue his explanation despite how much he wanted to just storm upstairs and go to his room. Gaia, he sounded like a petulant child. "They were clones."

"Clones?" Tifa said, quirking an eyebrow upwards as she turned around, lifting Zack's face again to get a better look. "He looks…exactly the same," she mused, sounding fascinated by it all. For some reason, that disturbed Cloud more than anything else that had happened so far. "Cloud, are _you_ okay?" she finally asked, not even looking over her shoulder at him. He tensed slightly, hating the way she did that, demanded answers in a way that he just couldn't ignore. She always guilt tripped him without actually trying to.

"I'm fine, Tifa," he said firmly, and she glanced at him quickly to tell him that she clearly didn't believe him, but wasn't about to push it at the moment. "Listen…we were going to take him to a hospital but-"

"Too much you can't explain?" Tifa completed for him still staring at Zack. Cloud had the feeling that she was searching those eyes, much like he had when he first saw the man floating in the tank. "Its fine, we have a guest room. Besides, we can't just leave him to get along on his own," she said, nodding with a sense of finality, and suddenly Cloud felt torn. Physically and emotionally pulled in two distinctly separate directions.

"Tifa…that isn't Zack," he said, ignoring the shred of pain that had made its way into his voice despite his best efforts to keep it all in his head. The look she shot him then caused him to wince slightly. He couldn't help it, he was five minutes away from just collapsing, he was exhausted, and just completely sick of the entire situation. "I…I watched-" he stopped, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. It was still too difficult to say, even after all these years he hadn't once told someone outright that he had watched Zack…and now that he was faced with a replica of the man, he couldn't even _think_ it. "His scar is gone," he finished almost weakly, opening his eyes and gesturing weakly to his chin before letting his hand fall down, feeling a certain numbness creep out from his chest and take over his limbs.

Tifa frowned and leaned forward in inspection, tilting Zack's chin up towards her. For a moment there was silence. Tifa looked and stroked his skin gently, and Cloud just watched, exhaustion urging him towards bed and his stubborn streak forcing him to remain here, waiting for the girl to realize for herself that this was definitely _not_ the man she had briefly known. But when Tifa finally turned to Cloud, her face had a strange look to it, and Cloud couldn't have ever prepared himself for what came out of her mouth.

"You mean _this_ scar?"

She gently tapped a finger to Zack's jaw, and Cloud felt himself moving forward, not quite in control of himself as he stared at the spot he _knew_ a scar should be, clear as day. He knew it wasn't there. It hadn't been there when he'd been frantically searching for it, and it wouldn't be there now…but why would Tifa…she wouldn't say something like that just to trick him. She just wouldn't. But there was no way…was there?

He fell to his knees in front of the chair, reaching up with slightly shaking hands and taking that oh-so-familiar face in his hands, gently turning it. There, faded and old but definitely, indisputably _there_ was the nearly t-shaped scar that had quickly become, at least in Cloud's mind, Zack's defining feature.


	3. Revelations

AN: Thanks again to YuYan~~~~~ and now, reviewer responses!

DarkBombayAngel: heehee~ we'll see about Zack! And no worries, the story will DEFINITELY be kept alive. I have a friend threatening to eat me if I don't finish it lol

Imaxgoxgnomgnomxonxya: heehee! Once again, we'll see~~

Zilldk: yay! It's refreshing? Haha, I honestly didn't realize that this twist hadn't been done before =3 and hooray for subtle humor!!

chipb0i: hooray for characterizations! The Turks weren't cooperating very much… I'm glad they came out well! Thanks for the alert/review!!

Tilare: glad you liked!! And woot! Guess my rustiness wasn't as bad as I thought!

iShiznitch: hahaha the tongue… I swear, that pretty much wrote itself. AND HERE'S SOME MORE CUTE FOR YOU!

Lilnee: hee, well, here's more! Thanks for the review!

Jupiter13: Since I'm probably not gonna explain this in the story… just cause I'm lazy like that and won't be able to make it work… the reason that Cloud couldn't see the scar before was due to the light of the container, the dim lighting outside, and his general freaked-out-ness xD And no worries about this getting finished, I have a feeling my muses will revolt and keep me up all night if I even think of not writing more. Besides! I have the ending written already… now all that's left are the dozen or so chapters in the middle… haha plot twists… hee hee… ENJOY THE CHAPTER!!

Chibipinkbunny: aww, thankies! And yah, this is gonna be a Clack story with them romantically interested in eachother~ nothing graphic though! Just a few planned cute moments. And gah, grammar, thanks for pointing it out. I hate typos…. And haha, you noticed? I hate dialogue, its my weakness in stories and RPGs… thus I tend to ramble on and on about details and thoughts and stuff xD glad it manages to work~

-siarafaerie-101-miss: bwahaha! I'm starting to like seeing "different" in my reviews! Here's another chapter for ya!

neko-neko-aishizu: -snorts- you ain't seen nothin' of Chocobo-boy's freaking yet. I have plans for little Cloudy~

The Key to Oblivion: be glad I didn't end this chapter where I wanted to xD people would have eaten me due to cliffhangers~

Dragi: Yeah…. I think its fixed itself, but occasionally eats the story and says it doesn't exist. I will NOT delete this story, so if you ever get that message just refresh a bunch until it comes up, I swear its still there lol

The nerd: hee hee, glad you like! Hopefully the next chapter won't be as difficult as this one was…

Inkwell of Stars: I know! The pairing is just too cuuuute! And woot! Glad my writing is enjoyable lol

Egg: Hopefully I can get a chapter a week, maybe a little more than that depending on school and whether or not the chapter decides to work with me…

Quiet N Cryptic: haha, well, there's more in store for them…. I have plans…. Bwahahaha! I swear, Zack is alive…. Kinda like Axel in Kingdom Hearts never really died, there was a trap door, I swear T^T

Isabella and me: HAHA! I can't tell you how much I tell that to my inner Cloud muse… he just likes to ignore me and go sulk in the emo corner…. Stupid muse… be happy!

L: heehee, thankies! And no worries about more, it'll always come… even if I have to beat it with a stick to make it work…

Crazzzzy: Just wait~ reality's sure to slap Cloud upside the head at some point.

Now, you know the easiest way to get me to post a chapter faster? REVIEWS! I hate to say it, but I am such a review whore xD I read them, and I feel all happy inside… that and I can feed them to my muses to attempt to get them to sit still while I try and write lol~ READ AND REVIEW PLEASE~~

**Chapter Two**

When Tifa woke up the next morning Fenrir was parked in the garage and Cloud was downstairs cleaning a very familiar, very rusty sword. She paused in the doorway watching Cloud work. She knew that he was aware of her presence, just ignoring her as he continued his task, and for some reason it made her smile. Cloud, as much as people had used to think otherwise, had turned into a perfect warrior. Even his spare time was full of thoughts of fighting. When he wasn't out working or at home sleeping he was cleaning and sharpening his swords, working on Fenrir's weapon system, or out practicing forms. She was so used to it by now that seeing Cloud without a weapon strapped to his back was a rare and strange occurrence.

"You walked all the way back last night?" she finally asked, breaking the silence. Cloud didn't even pause in his work as he grunted an affirmative, and Tifa walked forward, glancing down at the sword in appraisal. "Its looking good," she ventured, unsure as to Cloud's mood. After the discovery of the scar the other night he had just got up and left the bar, leaving her to feed, carry, and put Zack to bed. Really it was strange doing all of that for the man, especially when his eyes so clearly betrayed emotion. She'd actually started speaking to him after a while, watching those expressive eyes carefully. When she spoke of Cloud they grew soft, gentle, almost protective. When she spoke of embarrassing stories of the blond warrior and those he had worked with, they twinkled in amusement, the warrior's lips even twitching upwards at times. Regardless of whether this really was Zack and not one of Hojo's strange experiments, he was clearly a human being able to comprehend what was going on around him, even if he didn't have the motor functions to participate yet.

"It should," Cloud said shortly, uncharacteristically annoyed. Tifa smiled fondly and blamed it on stress and the general lack of sleep. "I've been polishing and working the rust off of it for hours now."

"You gonna give it to Zack?" she ventured, testing the waters. Cloud's hand slowed in its movement until finally he was just pressing the cloth against the blade. Tifa could see the reflection of his face in the scratched metal and it almost made her heart break. She had gotten used to reading the little things Cloud allowed others to see, and it was obvious how lost he was feeling at the moment. "You still don't think its him, do you?"

"Tifa," Cloud started, and the girl wondered if he had always sounded this weary, this old. "I…I don't know. So much is just…up in the air right now," he slowly moved the cloth along the length of the blade, not cleaning but just giving himself something to do. "If I let myself think…for even a moment…and its not," he closed his eyes, and Tifa couldn't help but place a hand on his shoulder, concerned but allowing Cloud to work through this rare display of emotions. "I can't…"

"Is that what the sword is for?" Tifa asked gently, trying to guide Cloud to another subject once it became painfully obvious that he couldn't complete what he was trying to say. He glanced towards her, relief and gratitude painfully obvious in his eyes. Tifa almost preferred the strong, stubborn Cloud to this one. The Cloud now seemed as if she pushed him at all, if she let him attempt to deal with something too painful he would just break apart. She wasn't sure she was ready to deal with that. It had been too long since she'd experienced Cloud with a full range of emotions.

"We'll see," he said, frowning down at the sword. Tifa smiled slightly at the telltale signs that Cloud was slowly coming out of his strange mood and getting back to business. "Right now it's so rusty even I hardly recognize it."

"Well then," Tifa said cheerfully, reaching down and snatching the towel away from Cloud earning a small glare for her efforts. "Since you left me to take Zack upstairs last night, you get to do the honors of babysitting him during working hours." When Cloud opened his mouth to protest with a slightly frantic light in his eyes, she held up a hand, glaring at the blond. "No buts, unless you want me to get Reno to do it?" An empty threat really, but even the idea had the blond cringing.

Cloud heaved a sigh and pushed himself up from his position, both of them wincing when his knees cracked protesting from being in the same place for far too long. He spun the sword carelessly in a few circles before shoving it into the holder on his back, already adjusted for its bulk. Within seconds he had all of his equipment in a bag and was making his way up the stairs, stepping aside for Marlene and Denzel to run by and ruffling the boy's hair as he passed and earning a disgruntled yell and a glare for his efforts. Tifa chuckled and welcomed the kids, still marveling at how the four of them had managed to form even the loosest meanings of family.

----

For the first time since he moved into the upper rooms of Seventh Heaven Cloud found himself praising the rather strange layout. While he had found it annoying and confusing during his first few weeks there this was really the only time that vantage points proved to be useful. The guest bedroom – very rarely used by anyone except Barrett – was perfectly visible from one corner in his and Tifa's room; it was only so because of a full-length mirror in the guest room that Yuffie had demanded they have the one time she had to crash there. As such, Cloud instantly plopped himself down on his bed, continuing his work on the sword completely able to see Zack whenever he looked up.

Tifa had fortunately thought ahead enough to get Zack up and in some of Cloud's larger clothing (hand me downs Barrett wouldn't let him throw out for "sentimental reasons" even though had Cloud actually never wore them) sitting him down in a chair to watch people out of the window.

Sometime while Cloud was gone the dark-haired man had manage to rediscover his neck muscles, allowing him to hold his head up with relative ease, resting it against the back of the chair when he grew tired. Cloud was fairly certain he would be left at peace; that Zack would be completely entranced by watching the city and wouldn't even bother Cloud. However, about an hour into his meticulous repair of the large blade the blond felt his skin crawl with the familiar sense that someone was watching him.

He glanced up, searching out the mirror he could barely see and found violet eyes staring at him through the reflection. He blinked for a moment, frozen in his work, hoping dimly that the man would turn back to his window gazing. Unfortunately, Zack held his gaze until Cloud frowned in annoyance and set the sword down, standing up and walking into the guest room. He glanced in the mirror to see how much of his room could be seen and almost heaved a sign of relief when he realized that while Zack could see him, the sword had been concealed by the wall.

"What?" he inquired, sinking down on the bed next to the chair, keeping his face carefully blank. The other man merely glanced from Cloud to the mirror and back, eyes insistent. Cloud could almost hear the question hanging in the air. "I was working."

Almost instantly, Zack's voice echoed from Cloud's memories unusually crisp, as if he had just finished hearing the man speak.

"_Its cheating if you polish your sword alone ya know!"_

He pressed his lips together, feeling his eyes twitch slightly at the nostalgic pain that sudden memory had brought with it. Staring at the image of that man while hearing his voice in his mind…it was almost too much for Cloud. He couldn't stand sitting here continuing this silent game with him. He was slowly but surely loosing it.

"Listen, if you don't need anything then don't bother me. I have important stuff to do," the blond said, pushing himself off the bed and walking to the door. He completely missed the annoyed, almost frantic look in those violet-green eyes as well as the fact that the mouth had opened, lips moving and forming well-practiced syllables. But he couldn't miss what escaped those lips. Couldn't pass it off as a fluke or a figment of his imagination, because as weak and hoarse as it was, Cloud was no stranger in separating reality from memory.

"Cloud."

He turned around slowly, unable to wipe the expression of shock off his face. The eyes he met were triumphant and happy, and the lips were twitching upwards in a ghost of a smile. Before Cloud could find words, those eyes fell shut, and dark hair bounced slightly in an awkward nod before Zack turned his head, staring out at the street again, as if the entire exchange had just been to prove that he could, in fact, speak.

Cloud shut the door to his room once he got there, and blamed his swimming vision on the toxic fumes of the polishing solution. After all, that was all it could possibly be.

----

Zack's mind had been moving at the speed of light ever since Cloud had taken him inside the bar. He was positive he'd never seen the bar before in his life, probably had never even known of its existence and yet ever since he came in through those doors his mind had started racing, urging him towards a memory that he just couldn't reach. He was fairly sure it was the girl, Tifa, who was causing it. He remembered her vaguely and whenever he saw her his mind was filled with the sound of people screaming. Every time he blinked he saw flames, and his body was filled with the urge to run, not in fright but in anger. He knew that the memory was important and Gaia was he trying to remember.

The one pleasant thing that had come from Cloud brining him here was Tifa. She was kind, motherly, and even though whenever Zack looked at her for too long his head started hurting, it was a nice change to be around her. Instead of treating him like an invalid, completely unaware of what was going on around him, she actually started talking to him, telling him stories many of which were about Cloud. She hadn't started talking solely about the blond, instead telling him about the bar and the children she was helping Cloud raise. However, after a while of watching Zack's eyes light up in interest whenever he heard Cloud's name, she started changing her stories, sitting in front of Zack and just talking for hours about the blond. There were stories of their childhood in Nibelheim, accounts of the battles they had fought in Midgar, and finally she just started complaining, something that amused Zack to no end.

It wasn't outright whining about Cloud, more like an in-depth explanation of Cloud's behavior. Of how he had been shutting out the people close to him, no matter how much she tried. To be honest, as intently as Zack had been listening, not much of what she had said stuck with him. He was too tired, mentally exhausted from all that had happened. However, there was one thing that he couldn't forget even if he tried. Something Tifa had said that made Zack's heart ache in the weirdest way.

"_I'm actually glad he found you," the girl said, pulling her knees up to her chest, still keeping the eye contact the two had been sharing for hours now. "Cloud, he…he hasn't been the same since you two disappeared in Nibelheim," she sighed, chewing on her lip for a moment. Zack could tell she was debating about saying what she was thinking, and was putting all his efforts into giving her a curious, encouraging look. "He's been distant…uncaring. Zack…he didn't care if he died. When he had geostigma, a sickness a while back, he wasn't even fighting it. I think…I think he wanted to die," she closed her eyes for a moment, probably to both reign in her own pain and to avoid seeing the distress in Zack's eyes. "He was just…so far away. I thought…I thought he had died inside. But now…Zack, even if it's distress, annoyance, or all negative things…I haven't seen him actually __**feel**__ in four years, no matter how hard I try. And then you show up, and he's tripping all over himself."_

_She opened her eyes, smiling, and Zack avoided her gaze, suddenly uncomfortable by the love in her tear-blurred eyes. "Just give him time. The only reason he's so cold to you is because…he doesn't know how to deal with what he's feeling. He's blocked out his emotions for so long, and now that they're back, he's a little lost." He glanced back at the girl, surprised by the wide, joyful smile on her face. "But don't worry Zack. It might take a while, but I'm sure he'll find himself again."_

As Zack stared out the window listening to Cloud shut himself away in his room, his mind's eye unable to picture anything other than the haunted look in those blue eyes, he sent a silent prayer to Gaia that Cloud would come around sooner rather than later.

He had expected something…different from what he had received. Finally managing to say the name that had been rolling around in his mind was…well…more of a drum roll and less of a bang really. Not that he was complaining. It was gratifying enough that he had finally been able to say something that he couldn't shake the pride rushing through him…but he hadn't meant to scare Cloud away.

He turned his head – something he'd _finally_ managed to get the hang of after a morning of his head flopping around like a dead fish – and glanced at the mirror, almost willing the reflection of Cloud's door to just…burst into flames or something.

In all honesty, Zack was _bored_. He hated just sitting here able to do nothing other than stare wistfully out a window and twitch his fingers in agitation. As weirded out as Cloud probably was he could have at least kept the door open! At least then Zack could be able to amuse himself watching the blond studiously bent over and working.

For some reason, he had a strange itch to snicker at that thought.

Cloud had been…interesting to watch. That was really the only reason he'd been staring, alerting some paranoid sixth sense inside the blond. The face he'd grown accustomed to seeing pissed and torn had been beautifully unconcerned in concentration. It was nothing like the neutral face the blond assumed when speaking with strangers or while attempting to mask any semblance of real emotion. There was something…peaceful about it. As if for a moment Cloud was forgetting whatever had caused his social withdrawal and was… actually enjoying life.

Zack made a face, drawing his train of thought to a quick close before his head started hurting. He had a feeling that dwelling on things just wasn't…well…what he did, and he'd found it best to just follow these feelings of "right" and "wrong", "familiar" and "unfamiliar" as far as sights and behaviors went. When something wasn't quite right it just felt strained, awkward, and Zack _really_ liked it when things weren't awkward.

So instead of thinking too hard, he returned to his new hobby of people watching. As bored as he was due to a general lack of movement and the like, it was actually pretty fascinating to watch the city at work. People were…well…quirky. He'd already watched at least three guys get kicked out of a bar down the street, only to stumble over to Seventh Heaven, flying across the street a few seconds later as Tifa's yells echoed up the stairway. Three guys had given the same girl flowers, all at different times, and no matter what she flung herself at them, basically sucking their souls out of their mouths. And finally, Zack's personal favorite, one guy kept making laps around the block on his hands waving at people with his bare feet.

In just a few moments Zack was so immersed in watching what was happening on the street that it took him a few seconds to see what had been unfurling in the alley right under his nose. He probably would have missed it unless, in an unlucky moment, the sun hit something just right, reflecting the beam of light directly into Zack's face. He blinked, annoyance flickering across his mind, and glanced down, thinking of just shooting a glare downwards before resuming his people watching. But once he saw what was happening he couldn't look away even if he wanted to.

A young man was being shoved up against the wall, the metal of a gun pushed right underneath his chin. He was shaking like a leaf, tears running down his cheeks. The other man was snarling at him, a wild grin on his face as he seemed to shove the gun further against the victim's throat with each word he said. Zack could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as he tensed, inwardly snarling in a strange sort of rage.

"Cloud," he muttered before he even really realized it. In his mind images were flashing. _Gaia there were so many guns. Everywhere, all around him, all focused on him. Cool metal glinting evilly in the light. _"Cloud," he said louder, stronger, a frantic edge to his voice. _A gunshot; it hurts. Vaguely, he ignores it. Another, and another. He knows they're hitting him, can feel his flesh ripping, but he doesn't care. _"Cloud." _It's all he hears, the gunshots, he can't feel it anymore, but he can hear it, see it. _"Cloud. Cloud. Cloud." _His leg gives, muscles torn but he doesn't care, still snarling and swinging, cutting down anyone who tries to get near him. He tries to get up but his other leg gives out, sending him to the ground. He tastes dirt and growls, glaring up at the guns he hadn't managed to destroy. _"Cloud. Cl-"

A gunshot echoed from the alley.

----

Cloud leaned back, rolling his shoulders and stretching his back out as he stared down at the sword he'd been working on all day. It was about halfway there, still spotted with rust and dull at the edges, but it looked a hell of a lot better than it had when he pulled it from the ground.

He sighed, falling back on the bed and allowing himself to drop his guard for just one minute, letting everything that had happened these past few days fully sink in. There was a slight chance that this…thing was Zack. Even though his harsh sense of self-preservation was denying that fact with every fiber of his being, his mind was slowly accepting that what Tifa (and Reno, but Cloud would rather eat his own sword than admit the Turk had a point) had been saying could logically make some sense.

"Stop," he muttered, mind racing in spite of his simple command. He raised his hand towards the light absently, staring at it as he reached out, and everything seemed to blur. The ceiling light grew brighter, turning into the sun, the soft bed became a rock wall, and he could almost see a retreating back in front of him. "Shit," he breathed, shutting his eyes and letting his hand fall back to cover his eyes, cutting off the memory before it could form any more. He basked in the silence around him listening to his own breath, seeming so loud compared to the far off roar of the city.

He allowed his senses to drift, using the mako pumping through his body to listen past the door, hearing the steady breath of the person in the room across the way. He turned his head slightly relaxing even more as the sounds of Tifa moving glasses downstairs came to him, her voice a happy blur as she spoke. He could hear Marlene laugh and Denzel muttering in that awkward preteen way of his. The door opened with a chime, a scratching voice joining the small din. Barrett, back from oil hunting. That's good, Marlene must be happy that-

"_Cloud."_

He sat up suddenly, blue eyes fixated on the door, hand itching towards the sword at his feet. His mind was whirring, eyes blazing a blue-green and his senses almost painfully tuned into the world around him. Every car horn that sounded made his ears ache, the sun reflecting off the metal roof next door made his eyes sting, and the constant drone of his name from next door filled his mind so much it felt like his head was about to split open. He could see every grain in the wood of the door, could trace each one from start to finish and note the variations between them. He couldn't drag himself back, exhaustion and his emotional reaction from that steadily pleading voice keeping him at a state of tension far beyond anything he was used to.

And then, everything went silent with the sound of a gun.

Cloud was certain that as the explosion reached his ears and filled his mind, he blacked out for a second, his eyes snapping open just in time for his arm to shoot out, bracing himself against the wall as his body slumped forward. It was blissfully silent, nothing but a dull throb of a headache betraying the state of chaos his body had been in. Shaking his head firmly, the blond pushed himself to his feet, taking a few slow steps as his body swayed, head spinning slightly as his headache increased from the change in position. It took a few seconds for him to push his focus past the dull throb in his head, and by the time he had, his body was already moving forward, throwing his door open and moving into Zack's room.

For a moment, fear gripped at Cloud's chest. The window was open, screams echoing up from the street as a crowd gathered. But that wasn't what had the blond frozen in place. The chair Zack had been sitting in was empty. Not only that, but it was pushed over backwards. He knew, he _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that the gunshot had probably startled the dark-haired man into movement. If there was even a shard of possibility that the man _was_ Zack and not some clone Hojo had created, the gunshot would have sparked memories. Really bad memories.

The blond could just see Zack staring out at the street, seeing the gun. The window wasn't locked; there wasn't any need for it. All it would have taken was a surge of energy, a momentary gain of motor function, and a slight push. What made it worse was that he could practically see Zack tumbling out of the window not even knowing what was happening.

"Zack," something unfurled within Cloud, something he couldn't name. He was glued to the spot, staring at the window. He knew he was breathing a little too fast, that his vision was tunneling. Everything he heard seemed to come from far away. He was in… disbelief, completely disbelief. And as his mind slowly started working again he couldn't help but grit his teeth as he finally identified that feeling in his chest that made breathing hard, made his heart race, and was starting to make his eyes sting. It was distress. Pure fear, anger, and sorrow all rolled into one little ball that was just wedged deep within his chest.

It was in that moment, as he stared at that open window, that he realized how much hope he'd actually placed in the man he'd found. He hadn't allowed himself to acknowledge the ache in his chest, and now…

Loosing the same person twice hurt more than it should.

"Damn it!" he hissed, finally stepping forward, kicking the chair as he walked, placing his hands on the windowsill and leaning out, mentally preparing himself for whatever he saw outside.

There was blood, and a man laying in the street, clutching his side and moaning. Paramedics were there, some with simple cure material glowing on their bracers and some with bandages ready in their hands. But nowhere was there the broken body he'd expected to see.

_What?_

And suddenly, a whimper sounded. Cloud's head whipped around, his hands digging into the wood of the windowsill as his eyes met a panicked pair in the corner.

Gaia, how had he missed that? Zack was right there, sitting in the corner, had been there they whole time, arms pulled up and hands tangled in his hair. And Cloud hadn't seen him. He'd lost his grasp on logic for a second; his emotions had run with him and he'd completely missed the man huddled in the corner.

"Zack," Cloud said, ignoring how distant his voice sounded to him as he walked over, slowly dropping to a crouch in front of the man and reaching out, placing the back of his hand against the other man's cheek gently, still feeling as if everything was moving too slowly, all sounds coming from too far away.

Zack's hands moved quickly, fluidly, with way more motor control than he should have had, and within an instant Cloud found himself shoved backwards, landing hard on his tail bone as Zack quite literally snarled at him. His eyes were wide and wild yet still strangely unfocused.

Suddenly, everything clicked. The gunshot, the cowering, the anger and fear in Zack's eyes. It was…a memory. A memory that an imitation – a _clone_ – couldn't have because memories…just couldn't be transferred, not in a way that would have the man literally freaking out at a stimulus like this. This wasn't a clone, this was _Zack_.

"Zack," Cloud said again, gritting his teeth and pushing himself up from where he had been shoved. Those wild eyes focused on him as if they were challenging him, daring him to come closer, into his striking zone. Cloud wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

In a quick lunge, Cloud moved forward, grabbing the other man's shoulders in an attempt to try and get him to focus, to not struggle like he was, weakly hitting, pushing, punching, movements born of desperation and not actual function. A fist hit Cloud's jaw, not hard enough to bruise or hurt but enough to be annoying. The blond moved, pinning Zack's arms. Zack struggled more; Cloud shifted to try and still his movements. Finally the blond wrapped his arms around Zack, crushing the larger man to his chest as his forehead hit the wall. The struggling ex-Soldier had nowhere to go, trapped between the wall and Cloud's chest.

The blond closed his eyes for a moment, feeling Zack's weakening struggles against his hold and shifting his arms whenever the man gained a bit of leverage. He could feel Zack's heart racing, could hear his ragged breath, feel his pants against the bare skin of his neck. A snarl rose from Zack's throat as he gave one more twist and shove, a last resort, before falling oddly still.

They sat there, panting, propped up against the wall. Finally, Zack's forehead fell forward, resting gently on Cloud's shoulder as they both caught their breath. Cloud opened his eyes and moved his head slightly, staring at the man leaning against him. Zack's eyes were closed, his skin covered with a thin sheen of sweat, mouth open and drawing in deep, regularly breaths. It was almost as if he'd–

"Oh no," Cloud groaned, shifting himself slightly as he nudged Zack and leaned against the wall a bit more, testing to see if the older man had actually fallen asleep on him. Zack's eyes fluttered slightly as Cloud moved and he shifted his head, but didn't show any movement otherwise. "Zack," the blond sighed quietly, moving to get up but pausing as he felt something stopping him. He glanced down at his chest, surprised to see his shirt bunched up in a surprisingly strong grip. Cloud moved his hand from behind Zack to gently touch the hand clutching at him, glancing up to meet half-lidded and dark eyes. Zack blinked twice slowly, before letting out a small sigh and burrowing his head a little more into Cloud's shoulder, a very obvious sign that he wasn't intending on letting go any time soon.

Exhaustion suddenly gripped the blond as he watched Zack slip out of consciousness, hearing his steady heartbeat and feeling ever rise and fall of the other man's chest. It had been two tiring days, days in which the blond hadn't managed to catch anything more than an hour catnap. A few minutes of contact wouldn't kill him, would it? And besides, Zack was warm, and comfy, and very much _alive_.

Cloud moved slowly until he was leaning against the wall, Zack collapsed against his shoulder and held in place by the arm Cloud still had around his waist and the cool plaster behind his back. The blond allowed himself a moment of nostalgia as he rested his head on that mess of black in front of him, breathing in a familiar and comforting scent he'd never really been able to give a name to.

Within minutes the two were completely asleep and Cloud found himself relaxed to the point that he didn't even wake as someone gently placed a blanket over them, tsking at the open window, overturned chair, and two grown men cuddling in the corner.


End file.
